Leap of faith

Don’t be afraid to take chances

Its not often they come around again

Before xmas, I saw an advert for an online magazine

They were looking for writers

I applied, not for one second thinking that they would accept or even consider me as a guest writer

All of their staff are fully qualified journalists and have top degrees in this area

I have a top degree, in science – yes hello ego ;-)

But as far as journalism and writing goes, I got a couple of A* ‘s in Lit and Language at GCSE level (10 years ago nearly!!!!)

Damn I’m ageing fast

But that’s as far as my writing career ever went

I do enjoy writing though, its cathartic and helps to empty the head of the thoughts that whizz around in there every day

The CEO of the magazine emailed me back and was incredibly enthusiastic about getting me on board as a casual columnist

He just wanted some samples of writing to see if my style fits in with their personality

PANIC

I never thought that I would be accepted

Prior to this I’d investigated writing for a couple of local newsletters and been flat out REJECTED

But this national magazine was completely open to the idea

Of course I got major writers block

And I kept telling myself that I would not be good enough to write for them

And I procrastinated over and over again

I keep them waiting and fortunately for me, they have been incredibly patient and understanding

Eventually they gave me an ultimatum last week and said they would erase my email from the system if I was no longer interested

So that catalysed me into action

I was scared of missing this opportunity

I was more scared of missing out

Than I was of being found inadequate

So I submitted some writing samples

I figured, hey I write emails every day, and whilst they may not be up for any literary awards any time soon

They have one things doing for them that I am confident of

They connect with you

So I bit the bullet and sent some examples in

It was an adrenaline filled moment when I pressed send

It was me accepting that I might get to fulfil this opportunity OR I may fall flat on my face

But I now understand that the falling on my face thing, doesn’t hurt so much

Fear of rejection

Fear of failure HOLDS US BACK every day in life

It held me back for more than 2 months

How long have YOU been waiting to take that first step

That leap of faith?

Are you ready to jump into the unknown like me?

Don’t put of your life any longer

If you have something that you want to do

Just hold your breath and do it

Like a band aid

Whip it off nice and fast with your eyes closed

The scary bit is only a millisecond

The results you get after you make that decision could be LIFE changing

Nicola ‘you jump I jump jack’ Rossell

PS. If you know someone who is nearly ready to take that leap of faith and could benefit from a bit of daily support, do encourage them to visit my website and sign up for my emails